Sea anchor



United States Patent O SEA ANCI-IOR Alvah C. Landwehr, Vicksburg, Miss.

Application February 26, 1953, Serial N0. 339,108

2 Claims. (C1. 114-209) This invention relates to a sea anchor and particularly to a sea anchor for use With small boats, such as row boats, canoes, skifis and the like, particularly When used for fishing or other purposes wherein it is desired that the boat should move or float slowly over a particular area, even though the Wind pressure on the side o1 end of the boat may tend to move it more rapidly.

A further device of this invention is to devise a sea anchor that may be secured by a line frorn the stern or either side of the boat, depending on the Wind direction, so as to slow down the movement of the boat under the pressure of the Wind, and provide an automatic retarding and controlling effect for the fishing boat.

A further object of this sea anchor is to provide a device Which, When fastened to the boat, Will hold it steady and Will reduce its drift in the Wind, thus perrnitting more time for the sport caster or fly fisherman to concentrate on fishing, enabling him to get more casts per hour and much better coverage of the fishing grounds, with less efiort and less time spent in rowing o1 sculling the boat.

A further object of this invention is to provide a sea anchor for slowing the drift of the boat over the casting area and holding it steady, thus enabling the fisherman to spend more time in fishing and less time in rowing or paddling.

A further object of this invention is to provide a sea anchor having an adjustable angle which may be increased or decreased to thus vary the amount of drag to suit the Weight or size of the boat and the amount of Wind that is blowing.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a sea anchor which will float With its upper end almost adjacent to the surface of the water and will extend vertically into the water so as to have a maximum drawing eflect and a minimum possibility of snagging on limbs,

roots or tree tops and the like in the water.

The invention consists of a sea anchor including a pair of metallic or other material vanes or panels hinged together and held in vertical osition in the water by flotation means secured along the top edge of each vane or panel, together With an adjusting bracket for holding the two panels at the desired adjusted angle to each other, and means in the vanes or panels for attaching a line thereto, the other end of which is attached to the boat in a position thereon dependent on the Wind direction.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, this invention comprises the combination, construction and arrangernent of parts hereinafter set forth, claimed and disclosed in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the sea anchor of this invention in partially open osition;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of. the sea anchor in folded position;

Fig. 3 is a top elevational view of the sea anchor in partially open position;

Fig. 4 is a schematic view of a small boat With the sea anchor attached to the stern thereof with the Wind blowing at the stern of the boat;

Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the sea anchor attached to the starboard side of the boat, when the Wind is blowing from that direction.

There is shown at the sea anchor of this invention. This sea anchor 10 consists of two vanes or panels 11 and 12 made preferably of aluminum o1 other suitable material and provided with adjacent edges formed ice into complementary hinged portions 14 and 15, having hinge pin 16 secured therethrough, so that the vanes or panels 11 and 12 may be folded nearly flat against each other for storage, as shown in Fig. 2.

In order to provide flotation means, so that the panels 11 and 12 will extend vertically into the water and float almost adjaccnt the top surface thereof, there are provided two float members 17 and 18, integrally formed from oratigched to the top edges of the vanes or panels 11 an In order to adjustably hold the panels 11 and 12 at the desired angle to each other, bracket arms 20 and 21 are pivoted at 22 and 23 to an intermediate point of the top edges of the panels 11 and 12, and the other ends of the bracket arms 20 and 21 are adjustably locked together by means of a locking thumb nut 24 and holt 25, extending through overlapping apertures in the ends of the bracket arms 20 and 21. The bracket arms 20 and 21 have their pivot connections 22 and 23 located intermediate the ends of the tops of the panels 11 and 12 and of such roportion that the maximum open angle of about may be provided, and by loosening the thumb nut 24, any desired angle may be selected, and the panels may then be locked at the desired angle, the angle selected depending of course upon the strength of the Wind that is to be connteracted as well as the size of the boat to which it is to be secured.

For one size of small boat, each vane or panel is about (14") fourteen inches long and about (7") seven inches high and the bracket arms are pivoted to the panels at points about (6") six inches from the hinged ends thereof. Obviously, the hinge, instead of being integrally formed at the ends cf the panel, could be formed separately and then riveted or otherwise secured to the adjacent ends of the vanes or panels.

Bach panel 11 and 12 is provided With a line-receiving aperture 27 and 28 located adjacent the hinge end and just below the flotation members 17 and 18, as shown, so that a line 30 may be tied therethrough at one end thereof, as at 31, and its other end may be tied to the boat 35 at a suitable location depending on the Wind direction 32 or 33. When the Wind direction 32 is toward the stern 34 of the boat 35, then the line 30 will be attached to the midpoint of the stern 34. If the Wind direction 33 is at an angle to the starboard side of the boat 35, then the line 30 may be tied along the starboard side, to offset the Wind direction, as shown in Fig. 5. Obviously, the line 30 will be tied to that point of the boat that best serves to ofiset the prevailing Wind direction, and the angle of the panels or vanes 11 and 12 to each other Will be selected such as to increase or decrease the amount of drag to suit the weight or size of the boat and amount of Wind blowing, so that the boat will float over the fishing area at just the desired rate, neither too fast 1101 too slow. Obviously, some experimentation will be necessary at the commencement of the fishing, but due to the ease of adjustment, it will not take very long to get the boat to drift over the fishing area at just the desired rate of speed, thus enabling the fisherman to spend a maximum amount of time in actual fishing and a minimum amount of time in rowing or paddling his boat.

While the device has been shown and the structure de scribed in detail, it is obvious that this invention is not to be considered as being limited to the exact form disclosed, and that changes in detail and construction may be made therein Within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of this invention.

Having thus Set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, what is claimed is:

l. A sea anchor for small boats comprising a pair of ridged vanes hingedly secured together at one vertically extending end of each vane, said vanes being of substantially equal area and shape, similar flotation means secured to each vane along its top longitudinal edge providing flotation to said sea anchor with said vanes depending from said flotation means into the water, bracket arms secured at one end to each vane at its top edge, means f0l' adjustably securing the other ends of said bracket together to thereby fix the relative angle 0f said vane to each other and to permit folding the vanes together for storage, and means for securing an anchor line to said vanc about said hingedly secured edges.

.2. A sea anchor as in claim 1 said anchor line securing means comprising apertures in said vanes located adjacent said hinging edges and immediately below and adja- Cent said flotation means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Beals Sept. 30, 1873 Leeds Jan. 26, 1886 Erickson Inne 4, 1907 Carnpbell Nov. 19, 1918 

